I went to Mexico a couple of times for spring vacation in my childhood, to each coast. While they’re the same country, you wouldn’t necessarily guess it. In my earlier years, we went to Cancun. Cancun is an amazing resort location, but outside that, you have to watch your back. While it isn’t exactly Mexico City, where my father was given a fake watch to give out the window in the event of a street robbery of the company armored car+armed guards (any company that’s worth anything will send you there with an armed escort), if you aren’t careful, you can be assaulted or worse in the street. We only left the resort once because that one time, a couple of dudes started following us more closely than we felt comfortable with. We booked it back to the resort and didn’t go back outside again until we had to go home.

The other location I vacationed at was Cabo San Lucas. This area on the Baja Peninsula is vastly safer than the rest of Mexico (experience and travel agent agree). There are loads of resorts, as it is a heavy tourist location, and plenty to do. Myself, I went Scuba Diving with my dad and got to hang out with Sea Lions and sharks. My family also went into a town not too far away for dinner a couple of times and to do some local shopping. We never felt unsafe here, unlike in Cancun, and the shops all sold wonderful little trinkets at nice prices. There was also a mall, and you could see police from just about anywhere. You do have to watch out, though, as if you leave the public eye or go into generally unventured areas, you can find trouble. My brother and I left the designated resort beach area once to go to the water, and a man approached us with an offer of “some weed or some blow”. When La Policia Federal drove by on an ATV, he went into hiding behind some rocks.

In Mexico, one of the trends I noticed was that the resorts handled a lot of the extra activities. Scuba Diving, while handled by groups like Red Sail, was always affiliated with the resorts. Rarely did you need to go outside the tourist areas to have fun; it was mostly self-contained. When we went out to eat in Cabo, the local town clearly knew American tourism, as they knew the resorts if they heard them. The restaurants were solid, but the guys outside are clever about getting you to pick their restaurant. It’s worth it, though, since they’re all pretty good.

Every store in the tourist areas of Mexico accepts US dollars, and that makes it a lot easier than converting to pesos at the airport or wherever you go. They list both prices, generally, unless they’re some kind of major store chain like Apple. But you don’t go to Mexico to buy an Ipod, do you? You only go home with the artisan crafts that you just don’t see in the USA any more.

As long as you go to a safe area, it is pretty chill and relaxed until it starts bustling at night. The nightlife is fun, though, so if you’re into that, then go for it. Just always be watchful in any foreign country and try to have fun.